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Non-fatiguing speakers in $10K range?

Some years ago I downsized to headphones only. Now I have access to a dedicated room again, so getting my absorption panels and ASC Tube traps back from storage... :-) The amp is going to be Accuphase E-800. I like class A, and I owned fair share of Pass gear but Pass integrated (and lower preamps) no longer have tape loop. I also like my gear to look the way I enjoy and Pass went too industrial for me.

Anyway, long story short. Speakers. I prefer relaxed, non-fatiguing sound. My headphones are Meze Elites and I love them. I also own Focal Utopia, but rarely listen to them, too forward for me.

Now, music-wise I do not listen to jazz or classical or vocals, sorry. Classic rock, hard rock, 80s new wave, punk, pop (classic and modern) and African blues like Tinariwen. People tend to insta-suggest forward sounding speakers - you like metal, right???. But I don't like piercing sound and I rarely go to concerts exactly because of this. I listen to AC/DC but NOT at 'realistic' revels. I like rhythm, melody, but I don't care about 120 Db.

The budget is about $10K, give or take, most probably second hand, but I can buy new, if I really like it. Unfortunately, there are not that many high end shops around Seattle with gear I like. Some went selling vintage and some went up selling only $100K+ systems. So most probably will be getting something blind.

It seems I should be looking for ribbon tweeters, I spent hours at youtube - it is definitely not listening in person, but some recordings are pretty decent and many show differences between speaker models.

I also compare frequency response measurements - I can easily tell that I won't like the speaker by looking at the chart. Ex, bump around 2-6K is a no-no since this is what "bright" is. Dip is actually good since this is what makes sound less "in your face/ear".

So far I more-or-less narrowed my search down to Legacy (Signature or Focus), Dali 8, ProAc (D48 or K) and - maybe - Magico A3? Legacy is huge, I am not sure I really need 20Hz extension. Magico has beryllium tweeters which may be bright....

I purchased Tannoy D700 many years ago, still own them, they are part of my TV set up. They sound good, but not as good as I would like it. My desktop speakers are ribbons too - AirPulse, I like them quite a bit.

Anything else I am missing?

mikhailark
jfrmusic
250 posts
 

Any Harbeth speaker. Most fatigue free speaker I’ve ever owned. 

dtorc
21 posts
 

I am very surprised to find myself writing this, but I recently bought a pair of Volti Razz speakers, and I can't get over how much I like them. What is surprising me is the upper midrange and tweeter. I kind of braced myself for enjoying the dynamics (which I really wanted in my room), but paying the price in, I dunno - aggression? 

But it hasn't been that way at all. I use a Class A, all tube 60 wpc amp (Zesto Bia), and I think the combo sounds wonderful. I am very sensitive to a forward or bright sound, but a friend swore I'd be surprised. They can be had for $7500 in a lovely wood finish, or save $2000 and paint them yourself (which is what I did). Horns do rock, which I know you want. But these do not hurt you while doing so...

goose
679 posts
 

Another close out of state option is Oregon.  I have dealt with Jeff at Metafi audio in Lake Oswego.  He is a straight ahead guy with some interesting and quality options.  He also gets a good selection of used gear that is often in 9/10 or 10/10 condition and he is able to offer good pricing deals. 

bobbyloans
71 posts
 

Now didn’t you open up Pandoras Box ! Lol

speakers always become fabulous threads with amazing talking point. That’s why we all love this great hobby

That being said; I’ll give my comments. I also did some searching about 2 years ago. I loved the Farbers, just felt they lacked in bottom end at the price point they were at. Legacy I felt lacked detail in some way though they did sound great. I was close to pulling trigger on Cantons and then found PBN Audio offered the best speaker for the money and frequency ranges and crossover point that checked all the boxes. Peter hand builds every speaker himself and offers any and all finishes you could desire. I settled on the M1!5. They have (2) 12s and a beautiful horn. The crossover itself is artwork. Peter makes a smaller version with (2) 8s and a different tweeter. Just my thoughts here but something from left fouled never hurts

 

alvinnir2's avatar
alvinnir2
109 posts
 

So many speaker recommendations but you really need to go out and listen if you can. You have not mentioned anything about the room. How big is it? Will you be able to have the speakers ideally placed out in the room or must they be close to a wall. 

A few years ago I was also  shopping for new speakers with a budget of $10K. I went out and listened  to everything I could locally, with a preset notion of what I was likely to like and buy . My musical tastes tend towards rock, blues, and fusion jazz so not so far from yours.

I ended up getting the rather inexpensive new KLH5s To my surprise and my ears, I found them the most pleasing. I too have a sensitivity to brightness but the brightness content can vary from recording to recording so I use a Shitt Loki mini equalizer in the effects loop of my CJ preamp.

I set it such that when I have a recording that needs the brightness tamed, I just use the remote to kick it in and voila .....brightness gone.

Someone posted Harbeth as a recommendation. I can only opine that I had a pair of the Compact 7 ES3 at one time. A lovely speaker that was not bright but it did not have the bass extension or dynamics to "Rock",, They would be lovely with classical or jazz however. A friend has a pair of Wilson MAxx. They can sound very good but they are huge and very costly to ship and sell if you don't like them so prepare to be married to them.

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